1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a connector, and more particularly, to a floating connector.
2. Description of the Related Art
A floating connector is known as a connector that electrically connects substrates. The floating connector includes a substrate-side housing to be mounted on a substrate, a fitting-side housing received in the substrate-side housing, and terminals fixed at one end to the substrate-side housing, fixed at the other end to the fitting-side housing, and having movable springs that elastically support the fitting-side housing displaceably relative to the substrate-side housing. This floating connector is mounted on one of the substrates to be connected to each other. On the other substrate, a counterpart connector is mounted as a connection object to be fitted and connected to the fitting-side housing of the floating connector. In such a floating connector, if the counterpart connector is inserted in the fitting-side housing while being misaligned with a proper insertion position, the movable springs elastically deform to displace the fitting-side housing, and this absorbs the misalignment. Such a movable mechanism achieves smooth fitting and reliable conductive connection to the counterpart connector (see, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2011-249076).
The displaceable fitting-side housing has a movable limit based on a deformation limit of the movable springs. Therefore, if the counterpart connector is forcibly fitted to the fitting-side housing while being misaligned beyond the movable limit of the fitting-side housing, the movable springs may plastically deform, and may not be properly displaced in the fitted state of the connectors. Further, even when plastic deformation is not found in the movable springs, fatigue durability of the terminals including the movable springs is sometimes deteriorated by minute cracks and damage. It is difficult to find such deterioration in a normal inspection after fitting. If the terminals are used in an end product, they may be broken before the end of a predetermined usable life.